Harald Heinrichs · Pim Martens Gerd Michelsen · Arnim Wiek Editors

Chapter 15
 Sustainability Ethics
Nils Ole Oermann and Annika Weinert
Abstract The article examines the relationship between ethics and the concept of 
sustainability. Exemplifi ed by case studies, different sustainability concepts will be 
applied to various philosophical as well as political discourses related to fundamen-
tal and applied ethics. In particular the question will be discussed if there are ethical 
duties towards future generations. Ecological issues as well as demographics will be 
ethically examined and related to the discourse of sustainability.
Keywords Ethics of sustainability • Ethical duties towards future generations • Applied 
ethics • Rawls • Kant
1 
Introduction 
In recent years sustainability has become a key term in discussions 
1
about the 
relationship of human beings with each other and with their environment. Efforts to 
promote sustainable development, such as government policies or self-imposed 
corporate social responsibility programmes, often have – implicitly or explicitly – 
an ethical foundation. Since the idea of sustainability is at its core that of a protec-
tive relationship towards nature and humankind extending beyond the present to 
future generations, sustainability always implies ethical standards. If sustainability 
is understood as a “collective goal modern societies have committed themselves to” 
(Christen
2011
, p. 34), then these societies can be seen to have a duty to act 
1
The perspective on sustainability ethics taken in this chapter is clearly positioned in discussion 
found in the German-language literature. It was felt that such an approach would complement the 
better known discussions taking place in what might be called a more Anglo-Saxon tradition. To 
this extent I am presupposing familiarity with such works as, to mention a few of those that are 
perhaps more notable: Lisa Newton’s  Ethics and Sustainability: Sustainable Development and the 
Moral Life 
(2003), Bryan Norton’s  
Sustainability: A Philosophy of Adaptive Ecosystem 
Management 
(2005), Christian Becker’s  Sustainability Ethics and Sustainability Research  (2011), 
and Jenneth Parker’s  Critiquing Sustainability, Changing Philosophy  (2014). 
N. O. Oermann , D.Phil. (Oxon) (
*
) • A. Weinert , B.A.
Faculty of Sustainability , Leuphana University Lüneburg , Lüneburg , Germany
e-mail: 
[e-mail]

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sustainably. This question of human duties ultimately leads to Immanuel Kant’s 
(1724–1804) second central question of philosophy “What ought I to do?” In such 
a duty-based ethics, the principle of sustainability seems to be an ethical principle 
that focuses on responsibility for and justice towards succeeding generations. 
An essential contribution that philosophy can make to the sustainability 
debate consists of structuring the terminological diffi culties of this concept. 
What makes the term “sustainability” problematic – not in spite of but because 
of its widespread use – is that it leads a “double life” (Grober
2010
, p. 17). In 
everyday use it means something is “lasting”, while in academia or politics it is 
a technical term. All too often and in a variety of contexts, there are references to 
the societal or economic relevance of sustainability, but what is often missing is 
a suffi ciently clear or consistent understanding of what “sustainable” means. The 
goal from a philosophical perspective should be to structure these fundamental 
ambiguities. 
After this brief look at the classifi cation of sustainability terminology in practice, 
we can see how ethics comes into play, since ethics is normally understood as a 
discipline of practical philosophy that provides evaluation criteria, methodological 
procedures or principles for the “grounding and critique of action rules or normative 
statements about how one should act” (Fenner
2008
 , p. 35). This is where ethics in 
particular can show “that the idea of sustainability is not only understandable by 
means of natural science terminology and methodologies but is an action guideline 
based on a genuinely normative foundation” (Christen
2011
 , p. 35). Sustainability 
is not a purely descriptive concept but instead aims at “regulating the relationship 
between society and its natural surroundings” (Christen
2011
, p. 35), that is, not 
only at describing how contemporary societies actually develop but also at formu-
lating how societies ought to develop and can develop. “The natural limits to human 
action are not values that can be discovered. There ‘are’ no limits in a strict sense of 
the word and they cannot be identifi ed as a separate entity. On the contrary, they are 
normative guidelines that are agreed upon for the sake of a good life for future gen-
erations” (Christen
2011
, p. 35). 
In addition to furthering theoretical and conceptual clarifi cation, ethics has a 
practical integration and orientation function. It can contribute to “rationalising 
practical statements” (Nida-Rümelin
2005
, p. 8) by introducing well-grounded 
actions and claims in decision-making situations and placing statements of opinion 
on a meaningful justifi catory foundation. Such complex decisions are mostly found 
in so-called dilemma situations. A “dilemma” differs semantically from a “prob-
lem” in that a dilemma does not involve a decision between two or more alterna-
tives that might be able to completely solve what was initially a complex problem. 
It involves the weighing of more or less desirable options. A problem, on the other 
hand, might have an optimal solution. Ethics is often about dilemma situations in 
which individuals, groups or whole societies are in need of orientation and a struc-
tured decision-making process when weighing alternatives or options in order to 
identify a feasible course of action. The main task of ethics is then not the solving 
of monocausal problems but the structuring and classifying of complex 
dilemmata.
N.O. Oermann and A. Weinert

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